America's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model. Ah, the epitome of what television has become. Constant bombardments of reality television shoving horrendous morals and values down the throats of Americans left and right. But the degenerate, entertainment lovers in this country sure do get what they want don't they? You have Rush Limbaugh writing an article and speaking about what shoes the First Lady wears out. You have the wonderful production, The Girls Next Door, which equates bimbo blonds as being some grouping of heroes, creating a part of the youth as snobbish ditzes who only worry about how they look and where the next party is so they can blackout. I would therefore have to agree with The New Jersey Volunteer, and say television and society's beliefs and values are going to hell in a hand basket and it does not look like anyone is willing to change it anytime soon.

Energy Resources

In the Environmental, an environment based blog, there was a recent post in regards to ocean floor energy. Apparently, there is an abundance of hydro methane, or as the author calls it "ice that burns". Gas hydrates would be drilled similarly to coal and oil and we would perhaps be seeing this within the next decade. Estimates claim that the gas hydrates could fuel all of America's cars and homes for 2000 years. Although there is such an optimistic view, scientists still need time to test the material to see if it presents any problems for the atmosphere or for humans in general.

Is it not great to see such a progress at a time like now? The economic downturn across the globe and the ever-increasing knowledge about our world has forced us to grow in all sectors at a quicker rate than in years past. It is an extremely exciting time in any science field, especially when dealing with the environment, as we have seen increases in efficiency and some crazy ideas in regards to our fight for energy independence. Hopefully, over the course of the next few decades, we can create a plethora of alternatives to fuel. If we are lucky, a renewable one.

Rush Limbaugh: Michelle's Shoes

Recently, Rush Limbaugh covered a story about Michelle Obama and her social work as she helped feed the poor in 500 dollar shoes. Yes, 500 dollar shoes may be a tad too expensive when working out in the streets in casual wear, but come on Mr. Limbaugh. Are there not more important topics to speak about then what Mrs.Obama wears?

Rush looks as if he is fallen down the same path our favorite cold-hearted person Miss Coulter went down as she fell from grace with all those educated remarks she makes. If you would like to be taken seriously Rush, by more than just the evangelicals and whatever it is you consider your group, I suggest you take a more serious approach in reporting the news. Credibility is gained through the focus on important topics and the continual push for objectivity. Rambling about a woman's shoes is definitely not one of the most important topics, and personally, I think reporters should be fined each and every time they report such garbage that has no educational value. You are just adding to the furtherance of the demise of the media and the educated public through adding entertainment as if it would pass as real news. Get a new focus and perhaps attempt to revive a sinking party. (like Mr. Kemp: too bad people like Rush Limbaugh could never make the impact that man has made)

Jack Kemp: Reinventing Party Platform

Over the weekend, the New York Times published a piece about Jack Kemp, a former football star who later on used his fame to begin a career in politics. He passed away at the age of 73 on Saturday due to complications from cancer. As a congressman for Buffalo, Kemp played a pivotal role in reshaping the Republican party's agenda with sharp rhetoric in regards to the idea of supply side economics and tax cuts to promote economic growth. Besides pushing a tax cut agenda that was accepted by the party and is still a strong part of the Republican platform till this day, Kemp advocated for more support for blacks and other minorities. He said after the 2008 election that, "the party of Lincoln needs to rethink and revisit its historic roots as a party of emancipation, liberation, civil rights and equality of opportunity for all.” (New York Times)

Jack Kemp represents progress, an individual who allowed his fervor for politics to open up new doors and opportunities that created enormous amounts of change for his party along with the constituents he represented. He embodies a sense of responsiblity and hard-work, that led to the foundation of Reagonomics and should be viewed as a role model for all those who aspire to make some sort of social impact during their lives here in the United States. He was a shining star among a world of greed and fight for votes that make politicians timid and irresponsive to change and he will be deeply missed.

Broadcast News vs Jon Stewart

The Daily Show is somewhat of a new phenomenon, a comedic talk show based around the realm of politics and general news. As one would think, the show has become a hit with the youth and has been an ever-increasing source of political information for the younger voters in this country. One of the obvious questions floating around "The Daily Show" would be whether or not the show has enough quality content. According to Julia Fox it does. (Check out the article. Pretty interesting.) Anyway, the sprouting of shows like "The Daily Show" have added a new venue for politicians to reach their constituency, and a younger crowd. It is always a plus whenever a show can educate a part of the country that is not getting enough current and life-affecting news, like teenagers and young voters.

As compared with the network news, I believe you can take in more information as long as you catch the correct stories. As mentioned in a previous blog post, sometimes the network news has a tendency to forget what is truly important, especially the political issues. In all, there is no problem with watching "The Daily Show" as an extra piece or source of information, but I suggest to the young voters; to be fully educated, one must exhaust every side of the story and reach the entire scope of the issue. So look around, and read differing opinions because in today's globalized media world, it is important to open your mind to multiple sources in order to formulate the best opinion and theory.

Not Enough Politics?

One of the biggest questions of today's media world is whether or not the country is getting enough of their daily dose of political stories. More and more, the media is moving toward an entertainment focus, featuring more "tabloidish" stories and less stories focused on domestic and foreign policies and politics in general. But is it wrong of the media outlets to do so? If one views the media solely as a business, then what they are doing is genius. It is as if they have hypnotized the public and they have complete control over what we see and hear. The media is not just for profit, and they must assume a business platform that reflects that stated manner. Being a reporter carries with it a sense of duty and social responsibility to the people of this country to report the facts without a bias. Instead, we have greedy conglomerates who focus on buffing up their bottom lines.

The media needs to recognize the power they have and the inherent nature of their industry in order to provide the public with the information WE need. The media should not be solely focusing on obtaining higher viewership through entertainment because they have a duty to report on central and important issues that are affecting the nation. I believe it is too late to change the new nature of these companies, but we can focus our attention on getting public broadcasting stations funded by the government, such as BBC, and perhaps these outlets can provide a more objective look at the news and more of a focused attention on serious issues, not entertainment.

Fox News vs CNN

Fox News and CNN. News Corp and Time Warner. Obviously, they are currently in a war for ratings and they differ in style. Fox News tends to be more opinionated, always offering their conservative bias in regards to the topic at hand, whereas CNN focuses more on relaying the information in what I think is a more objective manner. Fox News tends to love the drama and keep the public interested by throwing out their opinions and telling people what to think, and yes, there are some people with party affiliation who feel that receiving their slanted news from reporters is fine so long as it falls in line with their beliefs.

From a personal standpoint, I tend to believe that in order to fully understand and grasp the nature and essence of any given situation, one must be able to formulate his/her opinion from the ground up with just the sheer facts and therefore, CNN does a much better job at "reporting". When it comes to reporting politics, the economy, or religion/war, it is extremely important to stay objective and cover the facts. The people of this country receive no benefit from being spoon fed ideas from REPORTERS, and having shows like Fox News only polarize the nation as a whole. It does not allow for personal development. It just continues the socialization process and does not promote an adult nature or open perspective when it comes to politics.

The Epidemics of the United States of America

The recent outbreak of swine flu has brought an abnormal influx of accusations and what Howard Markel and Sam Potts call "reflexive scapegoating" in their Op-Ed piece found in the New York Times in regards to the history of epidemics and our subsequent reaction to those epidemics.

Since the cholera outbreak in the late 19th century, public health/medical officials have been doing their best to control the disease and protect their constituency, but that ultimately does not protect the people from their own scramble in confusion and misinformation that new age media has brought to the globalized world. It is as easy as what I am doing right now. The ability for individuals to use the computer and Internet to reach almost anywhere and anyone in this country is revolutionary and it has been changing media vastly, through the addition of tools such as blogs, Twitter, and social networking sites that allow you to post your own version of what is going on. Markel and Potts go on to speak about recent reports involving advice from politicians to have "migrant mexican workers be turned away from hospitals", and "a rash of scurrilous posts on the Internet attributing the outbreak to their “dirty” ways of life". It is growing ever-important that we use reliable and efficient forms of information, but I will tell you, it is disheartening to hear that there are so many uneducated people making remarks absolutely uncalled for on the Internet and through blog sites. (Perhaps this is why we get the swine flu stories in the first minute of the News Broadcast. It is what the people are all talking about.)

Finally, Markel and Potts make a tremendous point in that the country can take heart that we have diligent and remarkable health officials and doctors working around the clock to minimize the effects of a new strain of disease, specifically flu, within the United States, and it will only get better in the future.

Get off the Road Old Man!

We all know that the second you get your driver’s license the road to freedom opens up but what happens when your motor skills start to decrease? Many elders argue that they are not ready to give up their ability to drive and feel that it maintains their independence. There is no reason for seniors to feel attacked, eventually we all turn into elders and face the same problem. Is the feeling of independence worth it when it is causing fatal accidents? Individuals over the age of 65 are considered to be high-risk drivers and in most states, the only requirement is an eye exam.
The driving test should be given to all individuals at the age of 65 as well as every few years following. “Right now 32 states have no additional requirements for seniors renewing their licenses, even though drivers 75 and older have higher rates of fatal accidents than any other group except teenagers.” (CBS, 2001) Driving is a huge responsibility and PRIVLEDGE that requires safety so let us think about this, do you really want your love ones driving on the same roads as those who do not have as much control or the capacity to drive? “While fatality rates are dropping in all other age groups including teens, older-driver deaths are on the rise.” (CBS, 2001) By not acting on this problem, we are just waiting for accidents to happen. Eventually something has to be done. There are many other forms of transportation that can be afforded to the elderly at a much cheaper cost than the lives of others. Let's be smart and reasonable senior citizens and not get in the car if you are incapable of driving safely. And perhaps more importantly, let's be smart politicians. It is fairly simple to set regulations, rules and guidelines for driving safety. Remember, YOU marked it as a privledge not a freedom.

Critique on Feminist Blog; Equal Pay

Women have been fighting a discrimination war since the beginning of time. In 1963 when the Equal Pay Act was passed women were relieved and assumed this inequitable prejudice was finally being put to rest. Apparently, U.S businesses did not receive the memo because they are still denying females the right to make equal wages as males who are doing the same job. Recently, Lilly Ledbetter, after 19 years of working for Goodyear in Alabama, was informed that males in her workplace were making 15-40% more income than her for doing equal work. According to the Associated Press, she lost more than “$200,000 in salary and even more in pension and Social Security benefits" (Allen, 2009). After a long battle with the courts, Ledbetter brought her case to the Supreme Court which lead Barack Obama to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This act will allow individuals with pay discrimination will to file a complaint to the government within 180 days of their most recent paycheck.
There have been many arguments about one’s salary and whether or not people are being paid based on their gender or on their work ability. Today, another argument could oppose this by saying more women are being promoted over males based on attractiveness rather than ones performance. When arguing about equal pay, many people say that there are reasons why women should be paid less. Some of these reasons are the frequent choice to drop out for a few years to raise children, the idea that men have a type A personality causing them to be workaholics, and lastly there are more males than females in physically strenuous or dangerous jobs. When two people are doing the same job but happen to be of different genders there is NO reason for unequal pay and Goodyear should be embarrassed by their act of discrimination. Lilly Ledbetter has taken a stand for what she believes in and has now made a difference. It is time for U.S. businesses to treat their employees with respect and realize that everyone, not just males are trying to make a living and most often trying to support families. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 and it is finally being dealt with, although the problem will never be solved until companies decide transparency in regards to pay grades is an important and public figure.

Are We Equal Yet? Emily Allen, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist 2009
Feminist Blog:
http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/01/29/fair-pay-act-signed-into-law/